The Final Stand
by karina.is.king
Summary: Eversince the Dark Genie's death, evil no longer exists....or so Max and Monica thought. Another dark source still lurks behind them...and this dark source fights with a different kind of power...a power far stronger than any magic known to man. Pls. R
1. I'm Home 1

**_I'm Home-1_**

After the great battle with the Dark Genie, Max and Monica were finally freed of the great responsibility that had befallen them. Since Monica can't go back to the future without another Starglass, she doesn't have any place to stay. The story begins here….

''Umm…. Monica. Since you don't have a place to stay yet, if you're interested that is, you could stay at

our house.'' Max said as his voice was shaking. Monica replied, ''If you're sure your father won't mind,

okay.'' ''Nah he won't mind, in fact he would be very happy that we have company. Our home is a bit empty,

considering that only few people live in it.'' Max replied.

……**At Dinner time**

(Sorry, I forgot to add that this fanfic starts at dawn (day break) so it was already nighttime by the time they arrived)

''Max, welcome home! I'm sorry if I abandoned the house that you made for me back in Heim Rada. I

had this funny feeling that you would feel alone, being here all by yourself that is and I don't think the future

will be disrupted even if I leave it. After all, I'm only here for a vacation.'' Gerald explained while he cuts the

food that was in his plate. Then he noticed Monica entering the door,''Max you haven't introduced this young

lady to me properly yet, or I'll just have her introduce herself personally then.'' Monica bowed her head and

introduced herself, ''I'm Monica Raybrandt..'' Gerald nodded in agreement then gave Max a sign that tells

him to sit and have dinner. Max gave Monica a gesture to follow him to the table and eat dinner.

……**Bed time**

_Max prepared the bed for him and Monica to share while Monica was still taking a bath._

_**Max POV**_

''_Wow, I'm really glad that Monica is back! I've really been missing her… and our times together…. I _

_wish she never has to leave, it's enough for me that mother can't come back to our time…."_

_Max was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Monica was already in bed, snoring._

''_She must've really been tired to snore THAT loud, still, this is the first time I'm sleeping with her. Even _

_if we were together on that gruelingly long adventure, I never slept with her. I was always the one found _

_sleeping on the job, mostly because I'm not used to wake up 3:00 AM in the morning, nor train myself up til' _

_midnight just to make myself stronger, still, that's Monica,. The strong one……." _

_But at the midst of his thoughts, he never expected it, but it happened… during her sleep… she was _

…_Crying…_

_She was mumbling something under her breath but it was too soft to hear so Max just ignored it. Max just _

_went to his side of the bed and held Monica in a warm embrace. Monica involuntarily returns the hug even in _

_her sleep._

……**Next Morning**

Max woke up late. He saw that Monica's side of the bed was already kept so he fixed his part as well

then he went straight to the dining room. He saw his father almost done eating when his father spoke,"

You're late! Don't you know it's not right to keep food waiting?" Max apologized, then sat and ate as well.

Silence covered the dining room for a while, until Gerald broke it, "By the way, I heard that the mayor is

going to hold a celebration commemorating you. Congratulations Max. You finally reached the top." Max

was a bit flattered, being praised by his father and all, so he just nodded and went back to eating. "The time

of the celebration will be from 12:00 in the afternoon until 9:00 in the evening. Don't be late ok, you are the

Guest of Honor after all… you still have a speech to prepare so hurry now."

…**Meanwhile, at Monica's side of the story **

Monica was out in Palm Brinks Park. She took her sword with her so she could practice with it. "Just

because the Dark Genie is gone doesn't mean that I will put down my sword. Nope, it doesn't end that way!"

………_.7 HOURS OF SWORD PRACTICE LATER……._

Monica sat on a nearby bench to rest as she looked at her reflection, "I wonder how my will father react

on this kind of misbehavior. I'm sure he'll be pretty pissed that I broke one of the MAJOR laws of our

kingdom. Well sue me for being bored to death in that castle." As Monica was resting, she saw Max taking a

walk in the park… with Claire. Max saw her as well so he decided to sit with her. Claire walked up to Monica

and said, "You know Monica, Max is going to have a party tomorrow afternoon. I bet you didn't know that.

Anyway, I guess you have to come though, after all, **everyone's** invited. So even if it is people that we don't

know, he/she's still invited, even people from the ''future''. Don't you dare lay a finger on him ok!" After that,

Claire quietly went away, but not after giving Monica the "I'm watching you" look. Max looked at Monica and

said, "Umm… Monica? Don't mind her okay, she's always like that. She's just a bit insecure." "What did I do

to make her so insecure? I don't care what she calls me, I'm just curious on how her choice of words came

to be that?" Max blushed for a moment after what Monica said, "Don't you get it? Well, actually, that's how

she asks the "Do You Love Max?" question. She notices that we spend too much time together." Monica

gave Max a confused look, "What does she think we're doing, having sex while fighting monsters! She

must be nuts to think that way. After all, I have no time for making out."

_**.Nighttime….**_

Monica just finished taking a bath when Max called her, "Umm Monica. I'm just curious, you were

crying in your sleep last night. What were you dreaming about?" Monica was silent, then she replied," I just

miss my father, that's all. You don't need to worry about that." Max paused for a while then, he asked again,

"Monica, what do you do in your time? After all, you're a princess right? Does that mean that you have lots

of responsibilities? Monica replied, "Well, come to think of it, yeah, I had a lot, a lot of paperwork to take care

of that is. I got so bored of it." Max, once again, asked another question, "Monica, I heard from Galen Agaris

that, you're father was killed by Gaspard. I just wanna ask who takes care of you now that your father's

gone." "Well, I can take care of myself. So I really didn't put much thought that. Why do you ask" Max

replied, "Well what about your mother, surely she can take of you right, where is she then?"

"Max… she was killed; she sacrificed herself to save me. During those days, Gaspard's battleship attacked

our kingdom. I was just newly born back then; I didn't know what was happening. Mother was in my room as

well, because even if she was one of the best mages she can't fight because she had just recovered from

pregnancy, but Gaspard found a way inside the castle. Through MY room! Mother took me away from my

crib while Gaspard sent more minions inside the room."

_(Flashback)_

"_What do you want!" Gaspard smirked, and then he said, "Ah but nothing my dear. Your kingdom's cooperation, that's all." "Never! You won't get even a single soldier from us." "Are you sure? The king will surely be disappointed when she discovers nothing but the dust of his beautiful wife. Prepare for battle! Griffon soldiers, attack!"_

_(End Flashback)_

Mother fought with all she had, but she was outnumbered. When she defeated Griffon's soldiers, Gaspard

stabbed her in the heart. But before she died, she said something to Gaspard that made him angry, I can't

hear what she said but it made Gaspard retreat. By the time my father and the others reached the room,

mother was already dead, but she still held me ever so tightly in her arms.

"Five years after her death, I asked father the same question you asked me. He gave me this

answer. Ever since that, I realized that if I'm too weak to protect myself, I will only harm others and I too

cannot save others. Mother became my inspiration. I wanted to be as strong as her. I asked my father to let

me join the Resistance and fight alongside him against Griffon and his henchmen."

Max noticed a tear fall down from Monica's eyes, "Monica, are you all right? I'll stop asking now. I'm sorry if I

made tell such a story." "No, it's all right. You were just curious, I can understand that." She gave Max a

reassuring smile, and then she faced away from Max…

"You know Monica; there are times when it's hard to smile when everything is taken away from you.

Sometimes it's good to cry. It takes away all the pain you hide inside." Max replied as though Monica was

still listening. Max gave Monica a soft embrace before he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

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_Author's Mini note,_

_My very first fic, hope you liked it. Please read and review. I'm still pretty new to this so it might take me a while to finish the next chapter but if you guys liked it, I'll pretty much make Chapter 2 as fast as I can. I don't know Monica's mother so I'll stick to pronouns when I mention her, but if anyone has any information regarding Monica's mother or simply anything about Monica, please tell me and I'll update soon._

_P.S. I Don't Own Dark Cloud 2 or Monica _


	2. Trouble In The Lake 2

**_Trouble in the lake-2_**

Monica walked out of Max's house to practice her swordsmanship once again…

Max noticed this then shouted at her once more,"Um Monica, you can stop practicing now you

know, evil's gone so you can just relax."

Monica replied, "Well I'm not taking any chances, and I hate doing nothing."

Max quieted down and went away. "Oh, in case you're interested, there's a fireworks display later

at nine. It will be held at the Palm Brinks Park. If you wanna come, just come okay?"

"I'll think about it, right now I just wanna train okay?"

….Eight Thirty PM later

"Well I guess the fireworks display will at least provide some entertainment." I'll go check it out.

But just as Monica reaches the lake, she felt her spine tingle, "Something's up! I can feel something's

happening, and I don't like it." Monica ran faster so that she can warn the others… But she was too late…

She just saw Max being held up by the hair by an invisible enemy while the others were surrounded by dark

creatures. "Let Max go or I'll, I'll…." But the Invisible figure just laughed and interrupted, "Or you'll what,

**Attack me**! Hahahahahahahahaha…. I doubt that. You can't even see me; I don't have a shadow

whatsoever so I think I'll do the attacking." He looked at Max and said, "Now the ritual will be complete! With

the Child of Time with us, I know it will." And with that, he disappeared in thin air taking Max with him,

leaving Monica with tons of Black Creatures to take care of.

"Max! Alright, I'll take care of you jerks first." Monica readied her sword and prepared to attack.

After an hour, she defeated almost all of them; only ten were left five flying ones with sharp, VERY SHARP claws and five giants carrying chain balls.

"I think I'll take care of the giants first." She readied her sword once again and attacked.

**(Battle Scene- Skip it if you want)**

The first giant threw his chain ball at Monica; Monica evaded with a side step and jumped to the head

of the giant and stabbed it in the top of its head, breaking its skull. The giant fell to the ground, dead. Monica

jumped away and attacked the next giant when suddenly, from out of the blue, a monster tried to slash

Monica at the back, Monica evaded and jumped at the monster's head and stabbed its skull as well as uses

it as a trampoline to catapult herself to other flying monsters. In mid-air, Monica used magic to attack the

other giants below who wanted to throw their chain balls at her, but as she threw a volley of flames at her

opponents below, a monster grabbed her at the back in the middle of her attack. Monica tried to wriggle her

way out of it, but the harder she tried, the harder the beast held her, digging its claws deeper into Monica's

skin. Monica dropped her sword because of the pain of the claws digging deeper into her back, she closed

her eyes for a while, suddenly, a large fireball formed in her left hand and she punched it in the monster's

talons, making it release her in the air. She tried to reach for her sword, but the flying monsters keep on

clawing her so she used her magic to deflect them. Unfortunately, her sword landed in the hands of one of

the giants and as soon as Monica was in a reachable height, the giant lunge the sword towards Monica.

Monica landed on the tip of the sword and walked on it and kicked the giant's head. This caused the giant to

drop the sword and lose its balance, Monica made use of this chance to catch her sword and stab the giant

in its stomach and jump on its head to catch the nearest monster's tail and cut it in half. Monica landed on

the ground slowly, still holding the monsters lower half body and showed it to the other monsters. The others

slowly hovered down. Unknown to Monica, another still hides high above the stratosphere behind the

clouds. It looked like it was waiting for something (I'll tell you its purpose later). "You see this?" Monica said

to the other monsters as she pointed to the body she held, "This could be you if you don't leave this town

and return Max!"

One of the monsters walked towards Monica then spoke, "We are called the Draquil, and the giants you fought are called the Blood Golems. We were sent by Rayne, our Dark Overlord."

"What the hell are you guys saying? All I just want to know is where you hid Max and why you attacked us!"

The monsters didn't say anything….

Until, Monica dropped the body, the monsters suddenly attacked without warning, leaving Monica surrounded with three large Draquils ready to pounce her.

. . . . . . . Meanwhile, Max was finally awake, but before he knew he was trapped inside a crystal cage.

"Ooohhh… Where am I?" Max then saw a strange being nearing his direction so he made his stance and

was about to draw his wrench when he noticed his wrench wasn't with him.

The stranger stopped at a distance, then it spoke, "Well, well… I'm not surprised that you woke up this fast… you are indeed powerful, just as the murals predicted you to be. No wonder why my family would risk everything just to protect you."

Max was a bit confused at what he said, but his frustration covered it. "I don't understand what you're trying to say but all I want to know is why you took me away!"

The stranger walked closer to Max's side. Max was able to see the stranger's face, but when he saw him…. Max fell silent….

"What happened to your fighting spirit, Child of Time? Were you surprised of who I really am, why I look very much alike your wretched partner! That I cannot tell you, but what matters most is that you are the key to my success. With the power you posses, I can shape time and space in any way I desire and I will finally be free from the curse that my ancestors had befallen on me!"

Author's mini note & Spoiler

Sorry this is very short and suspending. I have this weird habit of keeping people in suspense, but don't worry I'm already writing the next chapter.

SPOILER

_Max and Monica will be facing an enemy they've never fought before. What's worse is that Monica is somewhat related to this new enemy. Lot's of kidnapping will be witnessed. _


	3. Hidden Truth 3

**Hidden Truth-3**

…. Monica was surrounded with three large Draquils; left with little options, she decided to use her strongest magic attack, the Omega Flame. She knew that one of the risks of this attack will be total vulnerability, if she ever missed one, she'll get herself killed. Then one of the Draquils charged at her, Monica made a weird hand signal, and then she lunge her sword down to the charging enemy's tail, trapping it. The other two charged as well but when they got too near… Monica unleashed a huge fireball, incinerating everything within its reach. When the flames died down, the Draquils were nowhere to be seen. Monica hesitated for a moment, but when she looked at the ground she saw one of the Draquil's tails still stuck to her sword, the rest of its burned into ashes.

Monica let out a sigh before she fell to the ground, "It's finally over… Max… where did they take you? Don't worry… I'm gonna save you... but wait… those monsters said something about…Rayne… that person may be my only clue to find Max, but something tells me that I've known this person a long time ago…"

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Meanwhile, in Max's Story….

….Max was left alone once again by the strange person that came to him.

"Who is that person? She looked so much like Monica… the same hair color but shorter. The shape of their face… the eye color is different though, but aside from that everything else is the same."

Max was stressed out because of too much thinking but he decided to clear his mind a bit to think of an escape plan first. He decided to closely examine the crystal first to look for any weak point, but without his weapons it might take him a while. Max looked at every side of the crystal, checked the shades of each panel of the crystal and knocked on every single panel as well. Unfortunately, not a single dent appears on any of the panels and without the dents, Max can't make an escape route anywhere.

Max just closed his eyes and decided to give up.

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On Palm Brinks, Monica decided to help the other citizens who were involved during the monsters' attack…. Cedric went to City Hall to talk to Mayor Need about certain matters, unknown to him, Monica followed him inside….

"Need, Max is missing! Can ya make a search party to find him?" asked a worried Cedric.

"I'm sorry Cedric, but after the monsters attacked us I'm pretty sure everyone is still traumatized about it, so I don't think anyone will help us find Max."

Cedric was about to lose hope, until Monica stood in the front door and replied, "Don't worry Cedric, I'll find Max."

"Ya will? Okay Monica, I trust you." With that, Monica hurried to Max's house to get her things and hurried back to the station.

"Dammnit, I forgot, I don't know where Max is so I don't think the train would be of much use this time." Monica thought to herself as she neared the station. "I guess I have to go there on foot…"

Monica decided to go to the park to think about a strategy before she goes anywhere else… but just at that moment… she saw her right arm glow blue, "Wha-wh-what's happening?" Her arm glowed so bright that it was too bright to look at. Suddenly, the whole area where Monica stood glowed as well, the people around her stood back, some ran away, others held their ground but covered their eyes because of the brightness of the area.

After a while, it glowed down, making it possible for the people to see what caused it. Monica opened her eyes first, everyone around her followed, and much to their surprise they saw the blue Atlamilia on Monica's arm, strangely though, Monica wasn't a bit surprised by this. It's like she wanted her Atlamilia to return.

"I knew it would return! I can feel that Max is not in this time period. My instinct tells me that Max is somewhere in my time." And with that, Monica went to the nearest time gate (which is in Sindain) and used her Atlamilia's power to go to her time period.

Unknown to Monica… Galen Agaris, Elena, along with Crest and other members of the Resistance knew about the time gate earlier than Monica did; Crest also foresaw that Monica was going to come back as well so they decided to surround the time gate and wait for Monica there.

Shortly, Monica appeared in front of the time gate in the future, but before Monica could even move, spears already surrounded her. She saw Galen and Elena as well as Crest looking at her with much sorrow in their eyes.

"Galen, what's the meaning of this! I have to do something… I have to save…" but before she can continue, four soldiers took her away from Galen and the others….

"Let me go! Elena… your son… Max… he's in… trouble… I promised… to save… him…" Monica explained as she struggled to get free from the soldiers' grip.

One soldier removed Monica's sword from her hands while the other three tried to wear Monica out.

Shortly though, Monica took care of the three guards. The other guard was about to call out more, but when Galen raised his hand, the soldier stopped.

"Listen Monica, did you even think of the risks when you came back to Max's time, well, did YOU? I explained it to you fully, that time travel is strictly forbidden, and still you went to the past without even telling us. You even involved Crest into this….."

Crest cut Galen off, "I joined her by my own will. Don't blame her for someone else's demise!"

"Then why did you allow her to go to the past? Surely you of all people must know that time travel is forbidden."

Crest lowered her head then replied, "I had a premonition, and I sensed something so evil and great wherever Max was headed. His life might end right now if he fought it by himself. Monica was with me during that time, and she heard all about it so she volunteered to save Max. I told her not to say it to anyone else, especially not to Max. You Elena, would you risk your own son's life just to obey the rules?"

Elena was speechless, but Galen interfered, "Well, what about this time gate then? If it weren't for Monica's recklessness, this wouldn't have happened."

Monica replied, now in a more anxious tone, "Right now, something even more sinister has captured Max, and I'm going to save him."

"Very well, but after you return Max, you, Monica must face your punishment. Just because you're a princess doesn't mean that you are an exception to the rules, in fact, yours must be even more severe, because YOU are the princess, YOU are one of the lawmakers and yet YOU disobey your own rules!" Galen replied with a much firmer tone.

"Yeah, yeah I understand. By the way, do you know anyone of the name Rayne?"

Just with the mention of the name Rayne made Galen shiver, "Wha-what about… Rayne?"

"Palm Brinks was attacked by a group of monsters being somewhat ruled by this "Rayne" person. Why do you ask? Do you know anything about him? If you do know something, please tell me."

"N-no n-no-nothing, I don't think you can find him here…."

Before Galen could continue, Monica interrupted him, "Wait, I got it! I heard my father telling me something about some mysterious woods far to the north of the castle. I guess I'll find him there."

"No, you won't find him there. If I may suggest, why don't you go with Crest to Starlight Temple? The Moon Crystal might know something about this "Rayne" person you speak of." Galen said with his casual tone.

And with that, Crest and Monica headed to Starlight Temple.

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"Galen, you know something. Please tell me, just who is Rayne? How is he connected to you?" Elena asked.

Galen took a deep breath before he spoke, "You probably don't know about this, but 15 years ago, in the Secret Order of Mages. All mages were supposed to have a hidden alias, a name separate from their own so that their enemies won't know about them… and Rayne is… none other than….Monica's mother, the late Queen Naomi Raybrandt."

Elena was shocked, "Bu-but she died remember? She died fifteen years ago. Remember, we were there during her burial! How could she have possibly been alive then? And how did you know about the Secret Order of Mages then, when it was supposed to be a confidential meeting? And why did she choose Rayne as her alias anyway?"

"Ray, the first three initials of Raybrandt... N stands for Naomi and the E, the last letter of the word Mage. She told me about it if ever anything goes wrong. She even told me that I mustn't tell it to anybody, not even to the king! Even I am surprised by this. How was she able to survive the war then? But as far as this conversation goes, Monica must never know about this from us. She must uncover it herself, by her own eyes. I know it will confuse her more than ever."

"Please Elena, don't ever tell anyone, especially not to Monica!" Galen said more anxious than ever.

"I won't tell her. I only pray that she will still regain her sanity and herself when she discovers who she will be fighting."

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Author's mini note and spoiler

Well wasn't that a nasty turn of events. Well it's only the beginning. I'm still trying to think what kind of theme will suit the next chapter. Okay toodles. Hope ya liked it. Please don't forget to review.

Spoiler

_Max is gonna make another escape plan to escape from the clutches of this new enemy, but, whatever happened to that Draquil that's still lingering in Palm Brinks? And what's more, Monica is going to have to venture deep into the Woods of Yore to find Max, but will she really find him there? I don't know either._

P.S.- I don't own Dark Cloud 2.


	4. Untitled 4

Untitled

* * *

"Well Crest, what do you see?"

"Hmmm…. Rayne…. I'm sorry dear, but the Moon Crystal doesn't have any information regarding this person."

Both Monica and Crest have already stood in front of the Moon Crystal for the past thirty minutes, and still no answer.

Monica almost lost all hope so she just went to Lao Chao's Bistro to take a break.

"My head hurts real badly right now. I really need to take a break." She whispered to herself as she made her way to Lao Chao's Bistro.

Crest followed Monica into the bistro and saw her seated quietly on a nearby chair.

"Monica, what's the matter? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I just need some rest…" but before she can even continue what she was trying to say, she suddenly fainted.

"Monica!"

* * *

…..Meanwhile, on Max's side

Max opened his eyes a little to see his surroundings, but his mind was somewhere else… he tries to remember what happened to him before he got kidnapped.

"All I can remember…hmmm…hey what do you know? I can't remember anything! Wait… I do remember about fighting something big… and invisible… it sure beat the crap outta me though… I was defeated… then he took me to a swirling vortex… like that black hole I used to see on books about Astrology."

Max stood up and decided to change the direction he was facing, then he leaned on one of the panels….when suddenly….the panel made a sound and startled Max…shortly, it also changed color (from it's original color, blue; to green).

"Oh… so that's how it works! You shift your weight through the panels."

He decided to test his theory by pressing his hand into one of the panels…but to much to his demise the panel didn't change.

"I guess I need more weight…"

Once again…he tried leaning against it…then he heard the same sound he heard earlier…shortly he saw the panel change to color green.

"Great, I made it change color…now what? This may sound crazy, but I think I have to go through it."

And with that… Max walked through the green panel…..and much to his surprise, he got out…

"Finally, I got out! The way that prison was built is incredible though. Anyway, why didn't I think about leaning on it earlier?" he secretly thought to himself as he got out of the accursed crystal.

* * *

…….Meanwhile…at Crest's side

Crest took Monica out of the chair and laid her to the floor…she took Monica's hand and checked her pulse…she also checked if her breathing was normal….after a while…Crest calmed down.

"She only passed out…I guess she was too tired. But what made her **that** tired?"

Crest removed Monica's clothes and checked for any bruises or cuts. Then she found a big, deep gash on Monica's back, it was deep enough to make hole on her back, and she also saw Monica's left arm filled with small cuts, as well as a burn on her left hand.

"I guess this burn and these cuts on her arm came from a strong magic spell…but about that big gash on her back…I can imagine her being hit by a big monster to have a wound that big. Maybe that's what caused her to be in this state. But why was she walking around with that big wound without telling any of us?"

"….I guess….I didn't want to make such a big fuss…just because I got hit…"

Crest was startled by Monica, who she presumed unconscious, replying to her question.

"I didn't know you were awake…but why didn't you at least let me know you had a wound this big?"

"You know Lin; you're making it sound like I'm gonna die or something!"

"I'm just worried that's all."

Before Monica could say anything else, she noticed that she was half-naked.

"Umm…Crest, what did you do with my clothes?"

"Oh, sorry, here you go."

Monica quickly dressed up, and then she stood up and headed straight to Starlight Temple's exit.

"Um…..Monica…where are you going?"

"I'm going to the forest I mentioned earlier…"

"You mean…the Woods of Yore?"

"You know about those woods? What else do you know about it Crest?"

"Nothing else, except the fact that these woods are filled with monsters way beyond the words _**strong** **and** **dangerous**_. I also heard that these woods contain a mystical and powerful energy at its very center and this strange flow of energy even transcends time and space itself."

"All the more reason for it to be "Rayne's" hideout…don't you think?"

"Go if you must! But don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

Author's note and Mini-Spoiler

Now wasn't that a load of crappy talk? Actually it's just a little oneshot of what Max and Monica (with a little pinch of Crest) were doing while Galen and Elena were having that little chit-chat about Rayne. Don't worry though; the next chapters will be the "action" or climax of the story where the real bloody and hurtful parts will take place. I'll also try to add some more scenes about Rayne so that all of you will get to know more about Max and Monica's elusive foe.

Please don't forget to review.

* * *

Spoiler

_Monica will go inside the Woods of Yore to try to find Max there. _

_Unknown to Monica, great evil lurks inside the woods. _

_What did happen to Max anyway after his great escape from the crystal?_

_And why do I keep reminding my viewers about that Draquil in Palm Brinks? _

_You'll know in the next chapter. Oh prepare for a nice and scary bloodbath in the next chapter as well._

_

* * *

P.S- I don't own Dark Cloud 2…not even Monica's Muramasa._


	5. Death Trap 5

**Death Trap**

After Max escaped from the crystal, he found himself lost in a seemingly endless hallway.

"Darn! I knew I should've turned left right after I got out from that cell." He thought to himself as he pressed on farther.

* * *

………….Meanwhile, on Monica's side 

She first went to Luna Lab and decided to ask Dr. Osmond to give her a ride to her kingdom.

She saw Dr. Osmond seated quietly on the chair in Lab 4 (the green one), what she didn't see though is that Dr. Osmond is asleep.

"Hey Dr. Osmond, I just want to ask if I can take Ixion for a spin. I'll be just going to Lebrante."

Dr. Osmond hardly heard what Monica said so he thought Monica was a new scientist asking if she can work with him or something.

"Yea-yeah, go ahead. Make yourself at home."

"Thanks a lot."

"(yawns) don't mention it." Then he went back to sleep.

Monica rushed to the central lab and went inside the Ixion.

"Oh shit! I forgot that I don't know how to drive this thing. Anyway I could always ask Dr. Nobb."

But before she got out of Ixion she already saw Dr. Nobb by the door.

"Do you really have to use words **that** big just to express yourself? Don't tell me, you need me to drive it, right?"

"Um yeah, I know your busy and all but just teach me how to operate it and I'll take it from there."

"It's not that hard really; well for us it's not that hard. But don't you worry, I'll explain it slowly, and step by step even idiots can control it while avoiding accidents that can destroy time and space itself...(Ahem) shall we continue?"

"Even idiots won't bail huh? Okay, I'll do it…I'll just get back on you after I rescue Max."

"(coughs abruptly) anyway you just turn the main computer on. The main computer is always in the center, in case you don't know. Press **Main Menu** and from there, click **Travel**, but if your going to use time travel, it's possible too. Just press **Time** **Travel,** now if you want to go to Lebrante easier and faster just press **Last** **Coordinates** from the **Travel** menu. Someone just went to Lebrante earlier but I can't tell you who it is."

"Thanks Dr. Nobb, don't forget…I'm gonna get back on you for what you said earlier."

"ahem ye-yes I-I-I won't."

And with that, Monica bid Dr. Nobb and some scientist goodbye and went to her next destination, the Woods of Yore, but before she goes there, she must pack up.

"You, remind me to make an armor that can repel swords and punches will you?"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

……..Meanwhile, at Max's hallway-err, I mean side… 

Max spent nearly an hour just walking on that long hallway…he walked some more until he found himself leaning at the wall, slowly shifting into sitting position.

"Darn, I can hardly move now. My legs are aching. Still I have to get a move on. If I give up now, how can find that stranger and find out what's the meaning of this?"

When Max was about to stand up, he saw a dim light at what he thought was the end of the hallway.

"Wha-what the heck is that?" He was startled at first, but he decided to follow it, as it was the only clue he has of the moment.

He ran towards the dim light….soon he got there….but when he got there….

"I knew that you were coming, Child of Time."

Max heard the same voice that trapped him; he decided to hide from it, but before he even had the chance to hide, _she_ knew that he was near, so he just walked in front of _her_ and asked.

"Alright, I wanna know what's going on. Please tell me…why do you keep calling me Child of Time? And what curse are you talking about? And why do you look like Monica?"

"Patience child, the time will come when everything will unfold, but unfortunately, it is not today…but I will answer one of your questions, you are called the Child of Time for an obvious reason; you were born from a mother in the future, and a father from the past. It's not everyday that you can find a child born from two different eras, am I correct? But that's only one of the many powers you possess. Enough of this, would you like a nice cup of tea?"

This time, Max was more confused than ever. He knew that _she _is the enemy, but why does she act like Max was going for a visit?

"I don't know what you're talking about but I don't care. I want to get out of here!"

Rayne stood up and held Max's hand. Max struggled to free himself but soon gave up because no matter how he tried, _her_ hand never lets go.

Max prepared for the worse, he was already thinking that she was going to place him in a torture rack, but strangely though, she led him straight to the main door.

"What the…why are you doing this?"

"Hmm? I thought you wanted to go out. Now that you're outside you're complaining…heh…you sure are interesting. Anyway, if you ever feel lost, just hear around for a flute and follow its sound, you'll find yourself back here again. Anyway, my name is Rayne."

Max didn't say anything, but as soon as Rayne released his hand, he immediately went off and ran.

"Yes run child run…let's see if you can around here…here in Oblivion!" She made a smug smirk and went back inside.

* * *

………..Inside the castle… 

Monica went to Lebrante and packed her strongest sword with her, as well as some scrolls that contained black magic. After packing, she rushed onto one more room and took a strange scroll with her, and then she took Ixion once more and went to the woods.

………Inside the woods…

Monica looked back one more time after walking some distance inside the Woods of Yore.

"Well, it's now or never…if I don't rescue Max…everything will go wrong…and I won't be able to tell him…ah never mind."

But as she looked back, she saw that the way out closed itself, making escape impossible.

She pressed on farther inside the woods, thankfully still not seeing monsters and anything that can rip her limb to limb…but she can still hear things from a distance, and naturally, that's not always a good sign.

Since she doesn't have a map, she decided to mark a certain object that tells her that she already crossed that part.

Hours have passed and still she hasn't seen an enemy and a way out. She kept on going to the same place over and over again…it seemed that no matter what path she took always led to the same place.

_This is bad…I'm already lost …. _But her thoughts were disturbed by a strange and sonorous sound. She decided to follow the sound, seeing that she has nowhere else to go.

_What is this beautiful sound? It reminds me of the times that my father played the piano…_

* * *

(Flashback) 

_Did you like it?_

_Father…that song is just so beautiful! _

_I'm glad you liked it._

_Father?_

_Yes?_

_Where did you learn that song?_

_When your mother was still alive, I used to play this song for her…she called it Arcadia…_

(End Flashback)

_

* * *

It is…it really is Arcadia! _

She pressed on further…and no sooner she had seen a new path. A path much different from the path she used to go around on.

Unknown to her creatures lurked this part of the forest…much more than Draquils and Blood Golems covered it…

_Huh? I can feel something…I'm not alone here…something evil lurks near…I can feel it..._

But before she can react, a wolf charged at her from the shadows, knocking her down…but it wasn't enough to make her pass out.

(Battle Scene-once again)

The wolf tried to bite Monica at the back, but Monica rolled over repeatedly until it released her…the wolf let her go, but before it can react, Monica slashed it in the stomach, ending its life. Monica took her sword out of the wolf's stomach and walked onwards.

She had only walked for a few meters when another wolf growled at her, but this time, this wolf has company (lets say the wolf brought the whole pack with him).

The wolf leader charged towards Monica while the others surrounded her. Monica evaded the charging wolf with a jump while throwing a volley of flames at the other wolves. Monica landed on a tree and made use of this opportunity to throw one of the scrolls she brought with her; she first threw a combustion scroll, she chanted some words and threw it at the lingering wolves. Monica waited for a while above the tree while watching the wolves being burned to ashes, one after another.

Unknown to Monica, a monster also seems to live above the trees…it was a Tyrant Drake, a giant snake that only existed inside the Woods of Yore. A Tyrant Drake is blind but its sense of smell is far stronger than any animal known to man. Unfortunately for Monica, a Tyrant Drake lives in the tree Monica landed on…it neared the unsuspecting Monica…and when she was in range…it attacked!

Monica wanted to go down but she felt so stiff, as stiff like something tied her, and to her surprise she saw the Tyrant Drake constricting her. Monica tried to make fire spell but the drake's thick scale made it resistant to fire…she decided to make herself fall off the tree. The drake suddenly released Monica from its grip, then Monica made her move…as soon as they landed on the ground, Monica sliced the drake in half.

Monica ran as fast as she can to the direction of the song while evading any other monsters with smoke bombs, as she sees that there is no point in fighting them, it would only take up time. But as she was nearing the center of the woods, she can feel the earth shaking.

Monica saw a huge dragon walk in front of her. It has spikes on its back, it has large black wings and it has a large and long spiky tail. Its whole body seems to be covered in armor and it had a metal helmet-like garment on its head and its eyes seem to glow red every time it roars.

The dragon made the first move by breathing fire towards Monica.

Monica evaded with a side-step and rushed towards the dragon with her sword pointed sideways so that it can be sliced in half. Monica was able to hit it, but the dragon acted like nothing hit it, instead it used its claws and swiped Monica away. Monica was hit but she used her sword so that she can stop, she wiped a small drop of blood that fell from her mouth and rushed to the dragon once again. The dragon became frustrated so it decided to attack Monica in the air. Before Monica attacked it, the dragon flew high in the sky and attacked Monica with a Fire Blast, Monica countered it with a scroll containing Ice Storm and the two elements clashed in mid-air. The dragon doubled the Fire Blast's energy by combining it with Fire Breath…Monica did a different maneuver, she added up two more scrolls containing Glacia Storm and Dark Cyclone, she combined wind with ice against the dragon's fire combination. The energy that was stored inside the two colliding energies was too much…too much that it suddenly exploded in mid-air, creating a Black Hole. Since the dragon is nearer to the Black Hole, it was sucked up no matter how the dragon tried to resist, the force of the Black Hole was greater.

Thankfully for Monica, the Black Hole only lasted for a while and she managed to create a barrier strong enough to resist being sucked up by the Black Hole.

Monica smiled, seeing that nothing else barred her way from rescuing Max…she ran a few meters more and shortly, she saw a part of the forest that was enveloped in much light. She went near it and there she saw, a golden book.

* * *

Author's note and Mini-spoiler 

Well there you go; I'm almost concluding this story, only two chapters left!

If you like me to continue this, I need four or more latest reviews. Don't worry, after four or more reviews I guarantee that I'll make it.

What will happen to Max?

What will be Monica's reaction when she discovers that her enemy will be her own mother?

What about that darn Draquil that Eucharion keeps on talking about?

What kind of power does Rayne possess?

What is the curse that Rayne was talking about like?

-If you have any question/s that is somewhat related to the ones I mentioned above,

The answer will be found in the next chapter! Stay tuned, don't forget to review.

* * *

P.S. I don't own Dark Cloud 2 

Spoiler

Monica will discover who the enemy is…and will Max ever find his way out?

The Legend of the Arcadia will come to reveal itself. Find out Rayne's ultimate power!

Note:

I didn't try to steal PugDragon's idea of Lebrante...I also saw that Monica's kingdom really is Lebrante! I saw it on a walkthrough...I'm not kidding!


	6. Duel With Destiny 6

**Duel With Destiny 6**

* * *

Max ran as fast as he could away from the gothic-like castle that Rayne lives in.

Max ran and ran, but something inside him keeps on telling him to stop. But Max didn't listen, as he was too startled and everything happened so suddenly that his mind can't handle this much pressure…

Until, when Max regained his composure, he stopped then looked at the road…there he noticed a large crack at the farther side of the road, and if he continued to run, he knew he would've fallen to his inevitable death.

He decided to go to other ways and hopefully, try to find a clearing…he chose to go left…but all he saw was a void…then he went right…still he found a canyon…finally…after seeing nothing…he listened for a flute and went in that direction.

He can already see the tower of the castle when something blue shined in front of him.

_What is going on? _He thought to himself as the blue light grew bigger and brighter…

Finally, it became too bright for Max to look at…after a short while…it died down…and out came…Monica.

* * *

………….Meanwhile, on Rayne's side of the story

Rayne was about to play her flute again, when suddenly, her hand shook, violently, so violent that it split the flute in two.

"How did she…how could she…my dragon could have taken care of anyone that dared to enter…no matter…I'll take care of her, personally! I'm not going to let her, her of all people, foil my plans!"

She left the place from where she stood and headed to the piano room…and there she played Arcadia once more.

_Max, come back to the castle this instant! Leave her. _

Max could hear Rayne's voice filling his head, telling him to leave Monica.

"Is she communicating with me telepathically?" _I'm sorry, but I'm going with Monica._

Monica noticed that Max was spaced out so she shouted, "Hey Max, are you with me?"

Max was startled for a moment, but pretty soon he answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. Listen Monica, you won't believe me when I tell you this but…"

"But? But what?"

Max suddenly disappeared in thin air, leaving Monica in question about what Max was about to say, and giving Monica another problem…where is he now?

Max was teleported back to his former prison cell, but this time, he was placed in a torture rack instead of a crystal cage.

Max opened his eyes, seeing nothing but himself tied to a torture rack.

* * *

(A psychic talk-) (Italicized-Max) (Italicized w/ Bold-Rayne)

_Rayne, I know you can hear me…please let me go!_

_**After the way you have disobeyed me…I don't think so!**_

_Monica is my friend you can trust her, after all, we can't actually escape here you know._

_**What? Do you actually think that I let you in here for a visit? **_

_Well yeah, you're not harming me or anything so I don't think you're evil._

**_You are too naïve boy! Okay, I think you leave me no choice but to tell you what I'm going to do to you…because it frustrates me to see people smiling even when they're about to be killed. I'm going to conjure a ritual called "Ritual of Sacred Passage". And, as every ritual goes, it needs a sacrifice…and I that's you!_**

_Okay…now you're starting to scare me, so please let me go…_

(End Psychic Talk)

* * *

Unknown to Rayne, Monica has already made her way inside the castle.

With Rayne still inside the music room, telecommunicating with Max…

Monica is already nearing the torture chamber, Max was being held at, while silently killing every monster that stood guard.

Unfortunately for Monica, the music room is near the torture chamber, and Rayne had already felt Monica's presence eversince she entered the castle.

"If you think that you can run away from me…you thought wrong…you'll regret ever facing death itself!"

Monica saw Max mentally absent as he was tied to the torture chamber; she tried shouting to Max, but Max was too spaced out to say anything…so Monica just ran to him and tried taking of the shackles that bounded Max.

"Max…wake up…I know you can hear my voice! Hey…Max…"

Monica tried to wake Max up…but when she saw Max's eyes turn blank…she knew it was no use.

Suddenly…Monica heard footsteps…coming from the back. She turned her head to see who it was…she went down from the torture rack and readied her sword, thinking that she was prepared for the unexpected, or so she thought.

She saw a strange, hooded figure nearing her, at a fast pace…

Monica blindly charged towards the hooded figure…but when the stranger removed her hood…Monica was suddenly brought to a halt.

"Surprised to see me, Monica?"

"Yo-you couldn't be…"

"That's right Monica…I'm your mother…the mother whom you thought dead!"

Monica was so shocked that she didn't move an inch…but the enemy on the other hand continued to walk towards her…Monica felt her heart beat faster every time she gets closer to her…until the stranger stopped near Monica's position…Monica looked at her and she looked at Monica…and then…the stranger slapped her…she slapped her so hard that Monica was thrown away at a pretty long distance.

Monica crashed on the wall, and made a hole on it as well…she fell back to the ground, her eyes nearly closed, shortly, it began to form tears before she completely passed out.

Max was still in a trance…his eyes remained as blank as ever…then Rayne (stranger to Monica) lifted Max by the chin and said

"Now I have to kill her as well…I don't need an audience to witness this…although, it would bring me much pleasure to kill her, why? Because we share the same blood, she was born from me…how I despise her!"

Though Max couldn't hear what Rayne was saying…Monica was bit awake…and she heard everything Rayne said to Max. Every word that Rayne uttered about her was like a knife to her heart, hearing that from the person, whom she considered her inspiration, hurts her the most.

Then Rayne released Max from the torture rack…and torture rack was transformed into a portal and next to it was a violet crystal…

"Now, all I need, is the blood of the Child of Time poured into this crystal and after that, I only need to offer the Child of Time's soul as a sacrifice as well as a drop of my blood to complete the ritual. After this, my curse will be lifted…and those ancient fools will pay for what they have done to me!"

Rayne took out a knife and made a cut in her arm…then she dropped the blood, which was stained in the knife, into the portal, making it change color.

Then Rayne held out Max's arm, then she took her knife…but when she was about to stab Max with it…a sword, from out of nowhere, hit Rayne's arm, causing it to drop the knife and Max as well. She hissed in pain as she saw the sword that hit her, she picked it up and smirked menacingly.

"The Holy Daedalus eh…I never thought that Raybrandt would actually fall in battle, hah, this is too much entertainment in one day! So Monica, you have your father's sword, but did you actually think that this piece of junk will win you the battle?"

Monica was the one who threw the sword…she stood up just in time to save Max from the ritual…

"I don't know what happened mother, but I will defeat you!"

Rayne just laughed and said, "You're just as arrogant as your father…very well, if you want to go first then it'll be my pleasure!"

Rayne rushed to Monica's side with the Holy Daedalus sword in her hand, Monica, on the other hand, took out some scrolls that were left after her journey in the woods.

Rayne swung her sword sideways, Monica jumped high to evade, then she threw a fire scroll plus a volley of flames right at Rayne…Rayne used the Holy Daedalus to absorb the magic and threw it right back at Monica.

Monica expected the counter-attack and countered it with a swing of another sword she held in her hand.

"I see you mastered the Fire Blade…your father spent years just trying to create it."

"I didn't master it, Father did…he just placed it in a scroll and told me to use it whenever it was most necessary…though it takes up a lot of energy just to conjure it." Monica replied as droplets of blood can be seen pouring from both of her arms.

"You're making this fight a bit interesting, but I have no time to deal with a cretin like you. Now prepare yourself!" Rayne replied as she struck the ground with the Holy Daedalus and began forming weird hand signals, as well as chant words beyond anything Monica has ever heard.

Monica knew she was planning on a magic attack so she dispelled the Fire Blade, closed her eyes and chanted a magic of her own.

Unknown to Monica, Rayne was only pretending to cast a spell, so as Monica was chanting, she slowly removed the Holy Daedalus from the ground and stabbed Monica in the stomach…

Monica was taken by surprise by what Rayne did, it happened all so suddenly, but the pain of the sword digging deeper into her stomach…the pain was all too much…

"Wh-wh-why mo-mother…why are you do-doing this? I used to look up to you…"

Tears filled Monica's eyes as she spoke.

"I've been always wanting…wanting to see you, mother. Of course, I knew it was impossible…but whenever I look at your picture…I always imagined you, beside me."

Rayne laughed, feeling unaffected by what Monica said.

"Humph, you've grown to be too soft, Monica. But it doesn't matter; I abandoned you a long time ago…I never did accept you as my child in the first place…."

"But let me tell you a little secret…you know the Dark Element right? As well as the Dark Genie right? Those two creatures…they were just my pawns of darkness. I created them to get the Atlamilias back…for I was part of its creation."

* * *

(Flashback- Ancient Times) (Italicized-other mages) (Italicized w/ bold-Rayne/Naomi)

_Lady Naomi, why would want to add something like a Nega force inside the Atlamilias?_

_**A Nega force is a type of energy that can destroy even the depths of time and space itself! **_

**_Although its evil aura makes it hard to master…but that doesn't matter now…even if I sell my soul to devil, I will gladly do so…just to make myself stronger! _**

Naomi wanted to create the Atlamilias for the sole purpose of making herself stronger…but the other mages wouldn't allow it…so Naomi killed everyone involved in the creation of the Atlamilias…until, the Head Sage heard of the monstrosity that Naomi had created…he himself personally gave Naomi her punishment.

_Your devotion to the Dark Arts is way beyond reason…and it had caused so much trouble for many…You must be punished! _

_From this moment on, the Necromancer known as Naomi will have an immortal life, here on earth…and here you will rot and all of your loved ones will die, but you will not..._

_You will suffer Eternal Damnation!_

(End Flashback)

* * *

Monica couldn't believe what she just said…

"But what about father, how did you find out that he had it with him fifteen years ago? And why at this time period?"

"I needed the Child of Time, and as he is the chosen one, he is bound to have a guardian…and your family, Monica, was chosen as the Child of Time's guardian. You are nothing more than Max's watchdog."

Monica was shocked…all this time…her mother never really loved her… her whole family was used just for someone's selfish wishes…and the destiny that burdened her, she already failed her duty to protect Max…

Rayne noticed that Monica was completely shocked after all of the things she said, so she made use of this opportunity to take the Holy Daedalus off Monica's body and swung it vertically, over Monica's head…

"Die!"

……Monica was hit, but thankfully, Rayne missed Monica's head, but she was hit badly in her left shoulder, almost hitting her heart.

Rayne was so furious, so she just kicked Monica to the direction of the wall, crashing onto it once again.

"Now that I'm through with you…the Child of Time is next!"

She went to the direction where she last placed Max, but by the time she got there Max was already gone.

"Where have you gone now?"

Rayne looked around the room, finding nothing. She decided to check outside…when she heard someone running inside the room. There she saw Max running towards Monica's direction.

"Oh no you don't!" And with a flick of her hand, a dark monster appeared from out of nowhere and blocked Max's way.

"I have to save Monica! Let me go!"

"Oh you will…right after you die as well!"

"No, I won't believe you, Monica isn't dead yet!"

"Believe what you must, what matter's now is that I have you and no one will stop me!"

"That is, if you can catch me." And with that, Max ran as far as he can, away from Rayne.

Rayne summoned two more creatures from the dark to help her catch Max.

Very soon, Max was cornered by three dark monsters and Rayne as well.

"Now, this game of Tag is over!" Rayne took out her knife once again started to create a cut on Max's arm.

Monica really was still alive even after Rayne crashed her to the wall…

"Sh-she said something about the blood of Max being placed in that portal thing…(groans)…if I was able to place my blood inside that portal…it would mean that the ritual would go haywire…"

Monica slowly stood up, even with her injuries; it mustn't be a hindrance to keep her from defeating her enemy…even if the enemy was her own mother.

She took the Holy Daedalus out of her shoulder and used it as a crutch to slowly limp her way over the portal.

"Ouch!" Max's cry can be heard from across the room…his arm had a long cut, still pouring with blood because of the slash that Rayne gave him.

"Finally, everything is almost ready for the ritual!" then she pointed to her three monsters and said, "You three, take the boy and follow me."

But when she got there, she saw Monica, with her hand filled with blood, placed her hand near the portal.

"No, you wouldn't!"

"Yes, I will!"

"But Monica…I'm your mother…will you choose Max over your own mother?"

"…I…I have no mother…"

And with that, Monica placed her own blood inside the portal…then…everything went silent…then the whole room glowed white…except for the portal, which glowed with a violent shade of purple as it shook violently, causing the whole room to shake as well.

"Look at what you have done! All my life's work…I worked on it for the past thirty-thousand years…and I won't let you destroy it…"

The portal suddenly disappeared in thin air, but not before trashing the whole castle because of the violent shakes it kept on making.

Monica opened her eyes, when she saw that Rayne was still affected by the light, she took this opportunity to grab Max's hand and quietly escaped the castle…unknown to them…Rayne already had a backup plan…

"If you think you cretins can escape…well think again…I've already sent someone to destroy Palm Brinks in a matter of seconds…and I have another way to get the Child of Time…"

* * *

Max and Monica were finally out of the castle…very soon, the castle collapsed and everything inside it was buried six feet under…

Monica let out a huge sigh, "It's finally over."

"Yeah…but Monica…how can we get out of here?"

"Don't worry…there's a time key around that we can use to get out of here, it's in a shape of a golden book."

Max and Monica decided to split up so that they can find the time key easier…

After a while Max found it in his part of the woods…but when he wanted to tell it to Monica…that became his problem…

"How can I tell Monica about it? Hmmm….I got it!" Then he took some branches, then lit fire and used its smoke as a signal for Monica to follow."

Monica saw the signal and ran towards the direction of the smoke.

"Monica, I found the golden book thingy! Now how do I use it?"

"Let me handle that for you."

Monica held Max's hand, then her other hand held the book…suddenly…they just disappeared in thin air.

* * *

Author's note and Spoiler

Only one chapter left!

Please tell me what you liked (or hated) about this chapter ok?

And please tell me if you want me to continue it…of course, if you liked it…I will definitely update. Please R&R ok?

Spoiler:

(None this time, sorry!)

P.S.- I do not own Dark Cloud 2!


	7. If Only You Knew 7

**If Only You Knew**

Max and Monica landed on the stony ground of Palm Brinks…with people staring at them like they were aliens or something.

Gerald was among the fray, and when he saw Max…his heart just pounded with joy…for the first time…he felt so much anxiety for his son. He held Max in a tight embrace and said…

"I thought I'll never see you again…I won't let you out of my sight again!"

Among the crowd…Galen, Elena, Crest as well as Dr. Nobb and Dr. Osmond also went to the past to see Max.

Elena saw Max all tired and weary because of the battles he encountered…she couldn't help but cry and rush to his son…Gerald also saw Elena's worried face, so he backed away from Max and let her embrace him…

"Oh Max, look at what happened to you…" Then she looked at Gerald and said, "Hi Gerald..."

"Welcome home, Elena…oh how I wanted to see you since."

Then Gerald ran to Elena's place and pulled her closer to a lover's embrace.

Galen though had different plans…he went to Monica's side and looked at her; she still can't get up properly because of all her bruises.

"You have done your mission, now we will prepare our departure for the future shortly."

"Well can we prepare faster because these wounds are already killing me…I'd rather die in a painless death rather than die like this."

Monica finally stood up, her legs were shaking and her body was almost stiff, but she stood up alright.

….But while they were celebrating…a voice echoed the whole town…

"You think it's all over huh? Well you thought wrong…**dead wrong!"**

The Draquil that was hidden in the stratosphere suddenly swooped down and caught the citizen nearest to it…and it was Claire.

The Draquil suddenly spoke, but it spoke in a voice similar to Rayne's…

"This girl will act like a good prize doesn't it, Child of Time?"

Monica handed the Holy Daedalus to Max and she summoned the Fire Blade once again…

Max was totally furious. Then he replied, "Let her go!"

"If you come to me…I will give her…"

Monica interrupted, "Okay, I'll give Max to you…but give Claire to us first!"

Both Elena and Gerald were bewildered…

"Monica…just what the heck are you talking about? It's not your life on the line you know." Both Gerald and Elena said in unison.

But Max wasn't moved by what Monica said…it looked like he knew what Monica is thinking.

Rayne just laughed, "You throw Max in mid-air and I'll throw this girl during that moment…clear?"

Max and Monica both nodded. Monica went the roof of one house, with Max following her, and then she catapulted Max in mid-air…

Rayne flew down and threw Claire at the ground…the other people below caught her…and then, when she was about to get Max…Monica was in mid-air instead, then she pierced the Fire Blade right in the heart of her "mother", Rayne.

Rayne was shocked, but the fierce power of the Fire Blade did more than shock her…and when they hit the floor…Rayne fell down headfirst before Monica…then Rayne's body started to fade away slowly…but not before saying…

"I bore you into this world…and this is how you repay me? Humph…after all, that's what I expected from a Weak Link. I bet your father never told you that!"

After what she said, she faded away, completely…leaving peace to reign at Palm Brinks once more.

* * *

That very afternoon, a great feast was held for Max, after all, the feast that he was supposed to have, has been cancelled so they made it once again.

Everyone joined in for the feast…everyone…except Monica…she slowly backed away and went to the opposite direction…She tried going in, but Claire kept on preventing her from coming in…and since she doesn't want to take any extreme measures…she just backed away.

"I guess, I'm not invited…it doesn't matter, anyway I still need to heal...I left all the healing items that I had with me before inside the castle…so I think I'll stay at Max's house for a while."

She slowly made her way to Max's house and there she sat at one of the benches placed outside Max's mansion.

* * *

……….Meanwhile, at the party…

Max was with his parents, enjoying a nice drink with Galen, Cedric and Mayor Need...

(Max isn't drinking beer ok; he was just hanging out with his parents)

Elena felt something funny inside her stomach though…so she left the boys while they were having fun on their own…and she left to find Monica…

"Funny, I haven't seen her since Rayne attacked…I wonder how is she?"

Her intuition told her to go to the mansion, even if she wanted to go somewhere inside the town square (that's where the party's being held)…she followed her intuition and went to Max's house.

* * *

She wouldn't believe it…her intuition actually did take her to Monica…and there she saw Monica seated in one of the benches…she was all alone.

Elena walked closer to where Monica was seated, "What are you doing here all alone? Your missing one heck of a party down there, come and join us."

Monica spoke, but she didn't face Elena's direction…she spoke with her but their eyes never made contact, "Claire wouldn't let me in, and besides I don't feel like partying right now."

"Hmm? Why not?

"A lot of things are bothering me lately…and I can't really move because my body's too tired to."

"Does it have something to do with your mother? And what she said about you being a Weak Link?"

"How do you know about the Weak Link thing? Even I never heard of it before."

"Monica…don't you remember? I was there, since your birth, since your father died, since the war…I know all there is to know about you…even the things that were hidden from you, I know all about them."

"Then why didn't you tell it to me earlier? At least it would've been less confusing now…but what does she mean by Weak Link?"

"A Weak Link is also another name for a "black sheep in the family". Your other relatives never really did approve of you becoming the next queen…because they knew who Rayne was, who Naomi was. They knew about Naomi being an evil Necromancer from the past, and since you were born from her, they said you were cursed…"

"Your father didn't approve of that, because he still loved you and tried to ignore the fact that Naomi was a Necromancer…but later on, his own belief killed him."

"But, Elena…why did they hide it from me?"

"Your father requested for them not to tell you…as I have told you before…he loves you very much…so much that he doesn't want you to be hurt."

Monica couldn't say anything…she thought her whole world will disappear because of all the things people have been hiding from her all this time…pretty soon, she couldn't help but cry, but she tried to keep them from falling, trying not to show any weakness even if the person she was talking to can't even see her face.

But Elena knew her all too well not to realize that Monica was trying to fight tears…

"Monica…you were born during the time of the war…I know how hard it was for you just to find time to be with your father and since he is also part of the war, he hardly ever had any time for you…I know how you long for a mother…and I know how disappointed you are when you find out who your mother really is…but in the end, you tried to fight your emotions…you tried to smile even if your heart is already tired of smiling…you are a princess but the treatment you got was far worse than any servant could bear handle."

"Elena…what are you trying to point here?"

"All I want to ask is…do you want to have a mother? Or at least know what a mother is?"

"I do know what a mother is…only I haven't experienced having one…"

"Well, do you want me to show you?"

Monica was confused…but before she could say anything…Elena hugged her on her back…Monica could feel Elena's warmth fill her body and her heart…she felt all her worries disappear…her fears acted like they never existed…it felt like time stopped on its own…

Then Elena continued, "A mother is someone who cares for you, loves you and is always there for you whenever you feel pain. This is just one of the things a mother does when their child is pain…I know your father hardly ever held you like this…You know the feeling of being alone, you know how hard it is to be alone…I just hoped this hug lessened it…even for just a little."

Elena could feel Monica's tears falling continuously from her eyes, she couldn't stop crying.

"What's wrong Monica? Are you okay?"

"Its all right…I'm fine…**_mother_**."

Elena was shocked with what Monica said.

Even if she wasn't Monica's real mother…Elena treated Monica as her own, even if it only lasted that night…Monica experienced having a mother…a real mother.

_Fin_

* * *

Author's note

It ended with a hug…Sorry if there weren't really any romantic moments.

But I dedicate this to all mothers. The real mother in this story became Elena.

Elena's care for Monica signifies a mother's love to her children.

Rayne maybe Monica's real mother…but Elena was far better a mother than Rayne would ever be.

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

And Happy Mother's Day to the Best Mother in the Whole World!-my Mom.

Love you Mommy!

Love you too Dad!

Please R&R

And please tell me if you hated or liked the ending.


End file.
